Linked
by superattackpea
Summary: After a particularly strange Kid heist and an incident with an even stranger, supposedly magical gem, Conan winds up with the Kaitou Kid stuck inside his head. Literally. Hopefully, he'll be able to figure something out before they drive each other crazy.
1. Well, this is new

Finally, after a long absence, I return!

And this time, with my first Detective Conan/Magic Kaito fic!

Un-betaed, but there probably aren't any major mistakes. Oh yeah, and I don't own anything.

By the way, I have no idea where I'm going with this. No storyline written out, just on-the-spot typing.

But hey, read on! And review.

Key:

"Talking"

_Conan thinking_

_**Kid thinking**_

XXX

Conan groaned as he came to.

_What happened? Why was I unconscious?_

Okay, start with something simple. He was in a large, vacant room, probably inside a mansion. Window open, light breeze, full moon. Nothing inside the room except an unlit chandelier, and an open glass holding case…..

He frowned as the memories slowly came back.

He'd been at a Kid heist. He'd caught up with Kid in the room where the jewel was kept, laid out his deduction, gotten ready for the showdown…..

Then Kid had raised the jewel to the moonlight, a flash of bright purple light…

Conan glanced around him. The jewel was on the ground.

But where was Kid?

_It isn't like him to just leave_, Conan thought, _he would have left a card or something and I can't see his hang-glider…._

_**Ugh…..what happened?**_

Conan nearly had a heart attack. _S-something just spoke in my head that wasn't me!_

…_**.Whoa, tantei-kun? Huh?...what...why...OH! Uh-oh…..**_

_That's Kid's voice!_

"Where are you, Kid?" Conanyelled. "Quit messing with me!" He whirled around furiously, but no one was there.

_I'm sure I heard his voice! Where is he? Is this another one of his tricks?_

_**Calm down. You're hyperventilating. **_

_There it is again! _Conan readied his stun-gun watch, but stopped.

_No, that wasn't speaking….I didn't __hear__ it….it was almost like it came from….inside my head?_

_**Took you a while. Honestly.**_

_Oh my god. WHAT DID YOU DO?_

_**Um, well…ever heard of magic gems?**_

_Magic isn't—_

_**Hear me out. That gem I was gonna steal, it had this legend surrounding it…..something about the full moon and 'two minds being linked together'.**_

Conan groaned out loud. _So you're saying…._

_**I'm stuck inside your head? Yup. **_

_Any idea of how to undo it?_

_**Nope.**_

Conan smacked his head against the wall.

_**That's not going to help. Hey, what's this?**_

Conan felt a disturbing sensation going through his head, as if someone were going through his mind.

_**Whoa, you're actually Kudo Shinichi? Ha! I knew it!**_

_Stay out of my memories!_

_**You should clean out your brain, tantei-kun. It's kinda messy in here. **_The sensation continued.

_S-stop it! _

Kid ignored him. _**Aw, you and Ran Mouri? How cute!**_

_You…._

Conan sighed and stood up, dusting his clothes off. Pocketing the gem, he walked out of the room.

_**Hey, where're you going?**_

"Home." Conan realized he had talked out loud out of sheer force of habit, and shut his mouth. It'd look weird if he talked to himself.

_**What about me?**_

_I can't stay here, so—_

"Conan-kun!"

Conan turned around. "Ah, Ran-neechan!"

Kid snickered. Conan tried to ignore him.

Ran walked towards him, frowning. "Were you trying to catch Kaitou Kid again?"

"Ah, well…." Conan grinned sheepishly. "He flew away before I could stop him, and he took the gem too!"

_**EH?**_ _**But you've—**_

_Shh! _Conan thought furiously, then remembered that Ran couldn't hear them anyways.

Ran frowned. "You shouldn't have run off like that!"

"Gomen…"

Ran looked at Conan, who was looking very downcast and sorry. She sighed and took his hand. "Alright then, let's go home."

"Hai, Ran-neechan…" _And as for you..._ Conan directed this thought towards Kid. _Just keep quiet. _

Kid grumbled, but Conan ignored him.

xxx

Kid was quiet for the whole car trip, and actually remained quiet until Conan was in his pajamas and lying in bed, the gem safely hidden a corner of his pillowcase. If Conan didn't know better, he would have thought that Kid was gone.

But no, there was still this lingering presence in the back of his head. Kid was still there.

_**Can we talk now?**_

_We could have 'talked' any time._

_**Good point.**_

_So...what happened to your physical body?_

_**No idea. I'm guessing it…..dissolved or disappeared or something like that, and my consciousness was transferred to your mind.**_

_Great. Any ideas?_

_**Yes. I know someone…she may be able to help.**_

_She?_

_**Yes. Hey, what are you implying?**_

_Nothing. Now if you've got something worked out, I'm going to sleep, Kid._

_**Kaito.**_

_Eh? You want me to call you Kaitou? _

_Oh, KAITO….._

_Wait, is that your real name? That is SO—_

_**It could be an alias for all you know. **_

_Most likely it is, but….oh, ha ha! _

_**Good NIGHT, tantei-kun.**_

Smirking, Conan rolled over and closed his eyes.

A minute later, he opened them.

_Would you stop that?_

_**Eh? Stop what?**_

_Humming!_

_**I always do that. Helps me sleep.**_

Kaito resumed humming. Conan groaned.

It was going to be a long night…

XXX

Anyways, what do you think? Reviews would be greatly appreciated. The more reviews, the more I write. This isn't a bribe, it's just what I'm like.

And to the people who favorite/alert without reviewing: That's nice, too, but I like reviews WAY better.

I'm writing this while I should be working, so I'll end this.


	2. Adjusting

I'm back! And….

Whoa. Ten reviews for one chapter? That's amazing.

Thank you, everyone! You have no idea how happy it made me. It also motivated me to grind out this chapter much quicker than I would have normally….

I'm supposed to be working right now. Sigh.

First update of 2012. Yay.

"Talking"

_Conan thinking_

_**Kaito thinking**_

XXX

When Conan woke up, he immediately sensed something was off.

Frowning sleepily, he reached for his glasses. What was it that was so...unusual?

_**Good morning, tantei-kun.**_

Ah yes, he remembered now.

_Mmph. _Conan mentally grunted back.

_**Tsk, tsk. **_Kid—no, Kaito berated. _**Don't be so rude, tantei-kun. Speak like a civilized person.**_

Conan ignored him. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night—Kaito's humming had kept him awake for quite a while.

Sighing, Conan pulled his school clothes on and shuffled sleepily downstairs. Breakfast would be waiting for him, courtesy of Ran—wait.

_I just thought of something. Do you need to eat?_

Conan could feel Kaito mulling over the question.

_**Dunno. I'm not hungry, so I guess not. How would that work, anyways?**_

_I have no clue. _

Kaito fell silent as Conan reached the table and hopped up onto his chair. Mumbling a 'good morning' to Ran and Kogoro, he pulled his bowl towards him and started to eat. Kaito made no comment about the food, so Conan guessed he couldn't taste it.

_**That would be weird. Tasting everything you taste….I'll pass, thanks.**_

_Mmm. Your loss. _Ran's cooking really was good...

Their 'conversation' was interrupted when Ran turned towards Conan and asked, "Are you going anywhere after school, Conan-kun?"

"No—"

_**Say yes!**_

"Well, um, maybe." Conan hastily said.

Ran nodded. "If you need me to pick you up from somewhere, just call, okay?"

"Okay, Ran-neechan!" Conan beamed.

_What was that all about?_

_**In case you've forgotten, I have a life outside of heists. My civilian persona needs to have an excuse for mysteriously disappearing, and we need to come up with a way for our minds to separate. I know someone who can help...**_

It occurred to Conan that this was the perfect time to find Kid's true identity. After all, all he'd have to do was wait a few days and look around for any 'missing people' who—

_**Don't even think about it, KUDO.**_

_Fine._

xxx

After Conan had finished with his breakfast, he began the walk to school. Normally the walk was decently silent and peaceful until he met up with Ai or the Shonen Tantei, but today was different.

_**Do we HAVE to go? Seriously, I don't think I can stand spending a whole DAY stuck back in elementary school. It'll be boring and stupid and a waste of time and—**_

Conan gritted his teeth. _Be quiet! You're giving me a headache. _Who knew the illustrious Kaitou Kid could be so childish?

_**But I don't WANNA go!**_

"Shut up!" Conan snarled out loud. Several passerby gave him strange looks.

_Now look what you made me do!_

_**Me? I didn't make you do anything!**_

Conan readied a stinging retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the Shonen Tantei.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi waved cheerfully, but her smile turned into a frown as she got close enough to see his expression.

"You look upset, Conan-kun. Are you okay?"

"Maybe he's sick!" Genta suggested.

"It looks more like he has a headache," Mitsuhiko chipped in.

"No, I'm fine." Conan assured them.

_As fine as I can be with the Kaitou Kid stuck in my head. _

_**I don't think it's that bad!**_

_Be quiet! _Conan scowled.

Ai glanced at him and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Meanwhile, the three children and two shrunken teens were already forming into their usual formation. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko grouped together at the front, talking about the new Yaiba movie. Ai and Conan trailed after them.

Ai spoke first. "How did last night's Kid heist go?"

Conan sighed. "Fine, fine." _Not really…_

Mitsuhiko overheard them. "Hey, I read in the newspapers that Kid literally vanished without a trace last night! Cool, huh?"

Genta nodded. "Yeah, it's like he disappeared completely!"

_Disappeared completely… _Conan groaned inwardly. If only they knew…

Ayumi spoke up, her eyes shining. "Kaitou Kid's so cool! I wish I could be a magician like him when I grow up!"

_**A magician like me, huh? You know, I've been considering taking on an apprentice for quite a while…**_

_Don't even think about it._

_**Fine.**_

Soon, the group arrived at school. As the happily chattering students filed into the first-grade classroom, Kaito made one last desperate attempt.

_**It's not too late for you to just run out, tantei-kun. Please? Don't you get bored, doing this day after day after day? You know all this stuff already and one day wouldn't make that big of a difference. Besides, we need to see—**_

_NO. I need to keep up appearances! We'll visit your 'someone who can help' AFTER school. _

_**But—**_

"Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, Kobayashi-sensei!" The class chorused.

"Too late," Conan muttered.

Kaito grumbled.

xxx

Two hours later, class was in full swing, and Conan was diligently maintaining appearances by taking notes. Although he seemed to be paying attention, in reality his mind was far away as he went over his favorite Sherlock Holmes cases.

Kaito had been silent for most of the class, but now he spoke up, unable to resist.

_**This is SO boring.**_

Conan didn't bother to reply.

_**Seriously, I'm bored out of my mind here! I know how to multiply and divide, thank you very much. I don't need to learn again! And you're not making it better by reciting Sherlock Holmes, of all books. Ugh!**_

Conan couldn't ignore that. _Excuse me?_

_**Sherlock Holmes! Recite something more interesting, like Arsene Lupin! **_

_Huh?_

_**Come on, everyone knows that Arsene Lupin totally beats Sherlock Holmes.**_

_WHAT! No way!_

_**Yes way!**_

_No way!_

_**Yes way!**_

_No way!…._Conan realized that Kobayashi-sensei had been calling his name.

"Conan-kun? Could you pay attention, please?"

"I am paying attention, sensei," Conan replied. Kaito snickered.

"Then what did I ask you?"

"Um…" Conan realized that he had no idea.

Sumiko Kobayashi sighed. "Conan-kun, I asked you to do the problem on the board."

"Oh…." Conan's eyes raked over the question. "Twelve," he answered quickly.

Kobayashi-sensei sighed as she stared disapprovingly at Conan. "Pay attention next time," she said, then went back to teaching.

Conan stared determinedly at his notebook.

_That didn't just happen. I did not just get scolded in class because I was having a 'no-way yes-way' argument with a phantom thief like a little kid!_

_**Ah, but you are a little kid!**_

Conan ignored him. Did school always drag on this long?

xxx

_**Five….four….three….two….one…..yes!**_

The school bell rang. Children jumped up from their desks, excitedly welcoming the end of another school day.

None of them, however, were as excited as Kaito.

_**FINALLY! It's over! Those long hours of excruciatingly painful torture, they're gone at last! Hooray!**_

Conan sighed and decided not to remind Kaito that they would have to sit through this again tomorrow.

"Conan-kun!" Conan turned to see Ayumi, Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ai.

"We're going to Genta's house to play his new Yaiba game!" Mitsuhiko said, obviously excited. "You're coming, right?"

Conan opened his mouth to agree...

_**Remember what we have to do this afternoon, tantei-kun.**_

Oh, right.

"Ye-no, sorry," Conan stammered.

"EH? Why not?" Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko asked in perfect harmony.

_**Okay, that's just creepy.**_

_Be quiet. _"There's...something I have to do." Conan explained.

Genta frowned. "Is it a case? Hey, are you excluding us again?"

"N-no, it's not a case…." Conan trailed off.

"Conan-kun!" Mitsuhiko pleaded. "Tell us! We're the Shonen Tantei! Cases are our specialty!"

"No!" Conan sighed. "It's not a case, I'm just….." he faked a cough. "I think I'm getting sick!"

"Poor Conan-kun!" Ayumi said sympathetically. "Want us to keep you company?"

"It might be contagious, Ayumi-chan," Ai cut in cooly. "What if Edogawa-kun has something like chicken pox and transfers it to you?"

"Y-yeah, so I'm going home to rest…" Conan said hastily.

"Aw…" Ayumi pouted.

Mitsuhiko sighed. "Let's go. Maybe Conan-kun will feel better later, and he can come over then."

With a few more reassurances from Conan that _he would be fine, he just needed to rest_,

the group split up.

Conan watched the four figures fade into the distance. He had no intention of going home.

_**Finally. Let's go.**_

_Alright. _Conan pulled out his skateboard.

XXX

Longer chapter than last time. What did you guys think?

Again, it'd be terrifically great if you could leave a review. It'll take you less than a minute, but it'll make me unbelievably happy.

And the more reviews I get, the quicker I update.

I'm going to get back to work now. Review so my effort won't go to waste!


	3. Meeting Akako

I am so sorry. I have no excuse.

….I'm such a horrible person.

But hey, thanks for all your reviews! It really encouraged me to get off my lazy butt and bang out this next chapter.

I'm sorry if Akako is OOC. I've never written her before and it's been a long time since I last read MK. I'm not sure how accurate/good this chapter is. I might edit it later.

And I don't own DC or MK, blah blah blah. Would I really be writing this if I did?

Happy reading! Don't forget to review. :)

Key:

"Talking"

_Conan thinking_

_**Kaito thinking**_

XxXxX

Conan swerved down the sidewalk at top speed, gritting his teeth. He was attracting a lot of attention from passerby—how often did you see a kid riding a turbo-powered skateboard?

Having Kaito act as his GPS wasn't really working out, either.

_Do I turn left? _

_**Right. **_

Conan cursed as he nearly missed the turn. He hurriedly turned right at a nearly 90-degree angle.

_**What'd you do that for? You were supposed to turn left!**_

_You said 'right'!_

_**I meant, 'right, turn left'.**_

Groaning, Conan pulled off a quick u-turn.

…_.which way now?_

_**Left again. Hurry up!**_

Conan made another haphazard turn, thanking the heavens that he hadn't crashed into someone or fell over.

_**Almost there. Okay, stop here. **_

Conan screeched to a halt. _Whoa. _

A forest that seemed to be made of dead trees loomed in front of him. Ravens perched on the branches, regarding him with beady-eyed stares. A black storm cloud hung over the whole area, and—were those gravestones?

_Creepy. _

_**You haven't seen the worst of it yet.**_

Conan gulped and headed into the forest.

It took him about half an hour to go through, which was probably twice as long as it should have taken because he kept going off to investigate suspicious sounds. More than once he thought he saw something—but it always vanished.

Conan emerged from the forest and saw a large, spooky mansion. The black storm-cloud loomed over the mansion itself, flashing lightning. Ravens circled overhead. Conan had the eerie feeling that they were reporting back to someone...

He walked up to the door, nervous against his own will. _What kind of person would live HERE?_

Swallowing, he reached up to the door-knocker...

_**WAIT! **_

The mental shout made Conan's head ring. He sighed.

_What?_

_**I just remembered. We need the gem!**_

_Already thought of it. _Conan felt around in his jacket pocket. His fingers touched the gem.

_**Oh. Sneaky, sneaky.**_

_Exactly. _Taking a deep breath, Conan reached up and knocked twice. The sound echoed.

And nothing happened.

Conan was about to knock again when the door swung open.

"You looking for Mistress Akako?"

He stifled a scream. A horribly disfigured….man, out of lack of a better word, was leering at him.

_**That's just Igor.**_

_Eh? Igor?_

_**Akako's assistant.**_

_Akako?_

_**The person I was talking about. Akako's a witch. Every witch needs a creepy assistant.**_

_Oh great._

Igor grinned, revealing yellow, crooked teeth. "Mistress Akako is expecting you." He (it?) turned and shuffled off into the dark hallway.

Conan hesitated.

_**Come on, go!**_

He gulped and followed Igor in.

The inside of the house—no, mansion, was dark and gloomy. Igor led him up a staircase, down a staircase, round three curves, and into a basement.

"In here. Mistress Akako is waiting."

Conan went in.

The basement was darker and gloomier than the rest of the house, if that was possible. The only sources of light were thirteen dim candles arranged in an iron chandelier, and a bubbling cauldron full of green, glowing….gunk.

A woman was standing near the cauldron.

_**That's her. That's Akako.**_

Akako cocked her head, staring at Conan with a bemused look. Conan shifted uncomfortably.

She spoke. "Alright then, Kaito-kun, what happened this time?"

"Magic gem," Conan explained, since Kaito obviously couldn't. "His fault. I'm—"

"Edogawa Conan," Akako said dismissively, waving her hand. "Your name's in the papers a lot. The boy who always foils Kaitou Kid." She laughed, a unique 'Ohohoho', startling Conan.

Kaito grumbled.

_Shh._

"Akako-san," Conan began. "I understand you're a...friend of Kid's. He said that you might be able to help us."

Akako sat down and stared at him, giving Conan a rather uncomfortable feeling. "Tell me what happened."

XxXxX

"….then there was a flash of purple light and when I woke up, he was in my head," Conan concluded.

"I know that gem," Akako said after some thought. "Do you have it with you?"

Conan fished the gem out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to her. She took it and ran her fingers over it, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"From what I know, there's only one way to reverse the effect…"

"Name it," Conan said hurriedly. "Tell me how to get him out."

_**I don't think I'm THAT annoying. **_Kaito sounded affronted.

"Next full moon, raise the gem to the moonlight again," Akako explained. "That ought to do it."

"Next full moon!" Conan gasped, shocked. "That'll take another month!"

_**Another month? How am I gonna explain this?**_

Akako shrugged. "Only way." Amusement glimmered in her eyes.

_I think she's secretly enjoying this._

_**I wouldn't doubt it.**_

Akako stood. "I'll cover for Kaito-kun. Now, Conan-kun, I think you're about to be late for dinner. It's already 5:30, after all."

"Kiisama!" Conan scrambled upright. "Arigato, Akako-san, but I've got to go!" Without looking back, he dashed up the stairs and through the twisting corridors, eager to be home.

XxXxX

Conan was late for dinner, but Ran was so relieved that he was okay and hadn't gotten lost or kidnapped that she really didn't have the heart to be furiously mad at him. He did receive a scolding, but the effect was ruined by Kaito snickering throughout the whole thing.

Dinner was cold, but Conan didn't care. He pulled his bowl towards him and began eating, thoughts whirling around his head.

_So magic is real._

_**Yup. Surprised?**_

_Of course! It doesn't make sense. How does it work, why does it work…_

_**Don't obsess over it, tantei-kun. I can feel your brain cells dying.**_

Not for the first time, Conan wished it was possible to mentally glare.

After dinner, Conan got out his backpack and pulled out his homework.

_**Oh no. Please, no. Anything but more of that torture.**_

_I've got to do it. _Conan began filling in the answers, taking his time as he listened to Kaito's wails of despair.

_**Oh COME ON! It's so boring! Why are you going so slowly, there's no way it takes you that long to do one multiplication problem. Hurry up! Gah, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? **_

Conan said nothing, but smirked.

XxXxX

So, yeah. That's it. Not much humor here, sorry.

If you're still reading this, I'd really, really like it if you reviewed. I'm supposed to be writing something for school, but I'm doing this instead. Don't let my effort go to waste!

Next chapter should be out sooner than this...I hope.

And now, superattackpea will now get back to work! XD


	4. Ice cream and memories

Huh, not many people reviewed that last chapter. What happened? Did I drive you off with my terrible writing?

If you're still reading, it'd be great if you could drop a review to tell me what you think. Just subscribing makes me wonder if you don't like the story but just want to see what happens.

But thanks for the reviews, and read away.

XxXxX

As Conan slept, he dreamed.

He was in a cluttered room that was full of boxes and shelves. Posters and photos hung on the wall. Curious, Conan wandered over to look. His eyes widened.

The photos were photos of him.

On one wall, Kudo Shinichi's life was displayed. There were a few photos of him as a baby, more from his elementary school days, and the most from his middle and high school years. A few newspaper clippings were pinned to the wall, most of them about the Heisei Holmes's many exploits and cases.

The photos ended with a picture of him and Ran at Tropical Land, minutes before he had run to chase down Vodka.

Conan shivered and moved onto the next wall.

The next wall was dedicated to the life of Edogawa Conan. It began with him being found by the police, then him walking home from Agasa's house. It continued with pictures of the Shonen Tantei, Ai, Heiji, and—Conan looked carefully—him facing down Kaitou Kid for the first time.

"Wonder where he is," Conan thought out loud.

"Right here."

Conan whirled around.

Kaitou Kid stood behind him. Not Kaito, _Kid_. He was dressed in his full thief regalia, hat pulled low over his face. He grinned.

_If he's here, then this must be..._

"See? You really do need to clean out your head, tantei-kun."

"Whatever," Conan grumbled as he picked his way around the mess of boxes and stacks of paper. _So this is my mind? I guess it is a bit messy in here…_

"These bookshelves are interesting," Kid said abruptly. "Look." He took a book of the shelf and opened it.

In the book was were a series of photos, laid out rather like the panels in a comic book. Conan watched as they showed Kudo Shinichi chasing Vodka, knocked out by Gin, ingesting the APTX 4869, and waking up a little boy.

_My memories..._

"Yeah," Conan said finally. "That's how it happened."

Kid frowned. "I would ask you about it, but I think you're about to slip into a different dream soon. You're blurring."

_Eh? _Conan looked down. Everything seemed normal. It was the room, and Kid, that was fading.

"Sweet dreams, tantei-kun," Kid said as he faded. "I'll be in here, looking through your head."

"Hey—" Conan began, but he slipped into a different dream.

He flew on a giant raven towards the lightning-filled sky…

The witch cackled on her broomstick, magic crackling around her fingers….

Tall buildings loomed beneath him, the wind blew..._I can fly!_

Shadows danced and blurred, forming the shapes of Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth…

The earth shook. Something was shaking him, calling his name…

"Conan-kun? Conan-kun!"

"Eh?" Conan woke up. He opened his eyes blearily, staring up at Ran's frowning face.

"You've got to get up, Conan-kun. You'll be late for school."

Conan sat up, blinking tiredly.

_Kaito?_

_**Mmm, yeah?**_

_Was that dream….with you and the book inside my head...real?_

Conan sensed Kaito's amusement. _**Of course, tantei-kun. Would you mind if I moved **__**some of your memories around? **_

_Yes, I would._

_**Mmm-hmm….Oh hey, here's the trash can! I wonder what happens if I drop something in?**_

_Stop! You…_

He gave up. The upcoming day of school would be more than enough retribution.

The journey to school was the same as usual. Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi chattered on about Kamen Yaiba and video games and TV. Ai and Conan lagged behind. Conan, while walking, had a lengthy discussion with Kaito about how he had to go to school EVERY DAY, no exceptions.

_**Look, I don't understand what's the big deal about this. You know all this—at least, you should know it, so why can't you just ditch school or at least skip a grade or two?**_

_Ditching school would just get me into trouble. Skipping grades would attract way too much attention. Ran's suspicious enough already without me knowing things that are more than four grades above my age._

…_**...I guess it makes sense….**_

_Okay, there's gonna be a 'but' there. What?_

_**That doesn't change the fact that it's really, really, boring!**_

_You'll get used to it._

The school day began decently normally. Kaito tried to remain silent. He succeeded for about twenty minutes.

_**Gah! So boring! This is your fault, tantei-kun. ENTERTAIN ME!**_

_I am trying to concentrate, here. _

_**There's nothing for me to do. I mean, all the books that are in here are all Sherlock Holmes!**_

_Books?_

_**Apparently, this one shelf holds all the books you've read recently or really liked. Must be something about subconscious memory….but almost all of them are about Sherlock Holmes! **_

_I can't help it!_

_**BUT SERIOUSLY! I—**_

_Be yelling is giving me a serious headache. _Conan massaged his forehead, grimacing.

Kaito's mental voice suddenly turned sly. _**Tell you what, tantei-kun. I'll shut up….**_

_If?_

_**You let me go through your head some more.**_

_No way. _

_**Fine. **_Kaito was silent for about five seconds, then started _singing._

_**Ten million bottles of beer on the wall, ten million bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, nine million, nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles of b—**_

_Shut up, shut up, shut up! Alright, fine._

_**Yay! **_

Conan immediately felt another disturbing sensation go through his head. Sighing, he turned back to the multiplication table he was supposed to be filling out.

Kaito was silent, except for a few muffled giggles.

_Do I need to know what you're looking at? _

_**Nope. **_Kaito sounded gleeful. _**This is gold.**_

_I'm going to regret this later._

Lunchtime passed without much incident. Conan played soccer with a group of other boys that included Genta and Mitsuhiko. He ended up kicking the winning goal, which prompted Ayumi to latch on to him with a squeal of, "Conan-kun is so good!"

_**Wow, **_Kaito commented. _**You've got a girlfriend already? How cute.**_

_What? No! It's not like that, baka._

_**What about that Haibara girl?**_

_Not her, either!_

_**So you admit you like Mouri Ran?**_

_Wait— _

_**But wouldn't that produce some...awkward situations?**_

Those words brought a wave of carefully forgotten memories to the front of Conan's mind. Kaito read them in astonishment.

_**What? OH! Oh, oh, ha ha ha! That is so great! Whoa, what is that? Man!**_

_You. _Conan tried to think of a suitable threat, but then he realized that he couldn't do anything to someone who was in his own head.

_**Me. Hi.**_

_Oh, never mind._

The whole school day passed. Kaito kept himself occupied by going through Conan's thoughts. Conan acted as if nothing was different.

"Conan-kun!"

"Mmm?" Conan turned and saw Ayumi, Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ai waiting for him. "We're going to get ice cream, Conan-kun! Wanna come?"

Kaito perked. _**Eh? Ice cream?**_

Conan felt a burst of inspiration. "Sure!"

_**Ice cream? I LOVE ice cream! Especially chocolate...mmm.**_

_It's not like you can actually EAT it, you know._

Kaito was silent as the realization hit him.

_**But….that's not fair!**_

Conan laughed, drawing a curious glance from Ai. They were almost at the nearest ice cream shop now.

_I'll be sure to get chocolate, Kaito._

_**You! **_

_Me. _

By then they had reached the ice cream shop. Conan smirked and walked up to the counter. "One chocolate ice cream, please."

_**Tantei-kun….**_

Conan took the ice cream and took a big lick. "Mmm, this is really, _really, _good!" He said loudly, attracting a half-amused, half-suspicious stare from Ai.

_**I hate you. **_

_Yeah, yeah, whatever. _Conan laughed and took another bite.

XxXxX

Not much plot in this one, sorry! I tried to add a bit more funny stuff to make up for the last chapter.

And what did you think? Review please!


	5. In which Kaito is almost found out

Er. I'm sorry! This chapter is WAY overdue.

Thank you to ALL of you for reviewing! 99.9% of my motivation came from all of you reviewing. Reviews really help me write, so it'd be great if you did.

I'll keep this author's note short. Read away!

xxx

Conan was sleeping soundly when he was woken up by Kaito laughing his ass off.

_**Oh god. OH GOD. OH, that is SO great. I've gotta write that down somehow before I forget it—wait, there's no way I'm gonna forget that, it's too—**_

_KID! What the HELL is GOING ON?_

_**I couldn't sleep and I was bored, so I decided to start looking through your memories. You said I could!**_

_I am TRYING to SLEEP! BE QUIET!_

_**Someone's grumpy.**_

_It's three-freaking-AM._

_**Language, tantei-kun. You should be ashamed.**_

_Shut up._

_**Make me. Mmm...you should sleep. Little kids need a lot of sleep, you know.**_

_I'm not—oh, never mind. _

Conan rolled over and tried to sleep, but found that he couldn't. He tossed and turned for another hour, cursing Kaito under his breath with words that would have earned him a smack on the head from Ran.

Morning came all too soon.

"You look tired, Conan-kun," Ran observed as they ate breakfast.

Conan blinked tiredly. "Ah...I guess I didn't sleep well."

_But how was I supposed to sleep, what with you giggling every three minutes._

_**Excuse me! I don't giggle. Snicker, maybe, but not giggle. Little girls giggle. Kaitou Kid doesn't giggle.**_

Conan tried to think of a good retort, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

School came and went normally. Kaito was quiet for the whole day. In fact, he was so quiet that Conan almost forgot that he was there.

The afternoon passed quickly. Conan had promised to go to Genta's house to play video games. He had taken a break from playing and was getting a glass of water when Kaito spoke.

_**I wish I could play!**_

Conan was so startled that he dropped the glass on the floor. Fortunately, the glass didn't shatter, but the water spilled all over the floor.

Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko ran in. Ai followed at a more sedate pace, raising an eyebrow when she saw him.

"S-sorry!" Conan apologized, bending down to clean up.

"No big deal," Genta said. Ayumi quickly went over to help, and the spill was quickly cleaned up.

Ai stared at him. "Something troubling you, Edogawa-kun?"

"Ah…no! I'm fine!" _Just got the Kaitou Kid's consciousness stuck in my head. Besides that, everything's normal. Just peachy!_

Ai glanced at him skeptically, but didn't push it.

_Stop surprising me! If you keep affecting my behavior like this, people'll get suspicious._

_**Geez, someone's a bit paranoid. **_

_Shut. Up._

_**Is that whatever you say when you can't think of a good comeback? How uncreative.**_

_Next heist, you are so dead. _

_**Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that.**_

Time rolled by, and soon Conan was walking back home. Kaito was absentmindedly humming, but this time Conan found it easier to tune him out.

"I'm home!" he called as he walked into the Mouri Detective Agency.

Ran turned towards him. "Oh, Conan-kun! You missed the case."

"Case? What case?" Conan perked up.

Kogoro grunted. "Some high-school student wanted us to find her missing friend. Said he'd been gone for a few days."

"Did you find her?" Conan asked, curious.

Ran shook her head. "No, we were in the middle of the search when another one of her friends called. She said that he was okay, but he'd be in the US for a month. Something about visiting relatives."

"Oh." Conan walked towards his room, but stopped. "Ran-neechan, what was the missing student's name."

Ran frowned. "I think it was...Kuroba-something?"

_**Uh, hey, tantei-kun! **_Kaito suddenly spoke up.

_**Shouldn't you be doing your homework?**_

_I was just about to…..okay, what is it?_

_**Er, what is what?**_

_You're acting…._

_**Eh?**_

_Look, never mind. _

Thoughts whirled through his head. Kaito was nervous. He didn't want him to investigate the missing student. Missing for a few days….could he have some connection with Kaito? But how?

Could it be….was that Kuroba guy…..

_Oi, Kid._

_**Calling me Kid all of a sudden….yeah?**_

_Are you…..no, wait._

But Kid had first appeared eighteen years before, in Paris. He worked for ten years, then was gone for eight…..it would be impossible for a high school student to have even been alive at that time.

_**Um...I...**_

Disappeared for eight years….maybe the original Kid had retired or was injured, and he had someone else take up the role?

_**Uh, tantei-kun...**_

But still, why—

"Conan-kun!" Conan turned to see Ran staring at him. "Are you okay?"

Conan blinked. "Yeah…"

"You've been standing in the hall for about five minutes."

"Ah…I was thinking about something." Conan said quickly.

_Affecting my behavior…._

_**You can't blame me this time. **_Kaito sounded relieved.

Conan sighed and went in his room, unanswered questions filling his head.

xxx

Conan dreamed.

He was back in the room inside his head. Kid was lounging on a couch that Conan was sure hadn't been there before. His top hat was off. His eyes were closed.

Conan moved cautiously towards him.

"I'm not asleep." Kid spoke, his eyes opening. Conan started.

Kid swung himself from a lying position to sitting, eyes gleaming. With a flick of his hand, the top hat swung onto his head. "Dreaming again?"

"I suppose," Conan said slowly.

Kid pulled a deck of cards out of thin air and started shuffling them in all sorts of overly extravagant ways.

"Show-off," Conan muttered.

Kid raised an eyebrow. "But of course. You have to be a show-off to be a phantom thief. I could just sneak in and grab the jewel in the middle of the night, but it's so much more _fun_ if I make a show out of it." He finished shuffling. "Wanna play?"

"No thanks." Conan looked around the room. It was much neater than it had been during his previous visit.

"Hey, were you moving stuff around?"

"You saw how messy it was in here," Kid defended. "I had to! And I didn't throw anything away. I wonder what happens if I do...would you forget it?"

Conan ignored him and walked over to a bookshelf. He randomly pulled out a book, scanning the title. His eyes widened.

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?"

Kid nodded. "Remember? Every book you've read recently or really enjoyed."

Conan opened the book and flipped through it, but stopped. "Why are some parts blurry?"

Kid shrugged. "No clue. I guess it's because you've forgotten that particular bit, or can't remember it that clearly."

Conan closed the book, rather disturbed. "I thought I'd memorized all of them."

"Guess not." Kid yawned. "Can I sleep now?"

"You can sleep?"

"Yeah. I just don't have to eat. Or go to the bathroom. That would be way too awkward." Kid made a shooing motion with his hand. "And...you're slipping. Have fun in whatever dream you're in next."

"Wait, I was going to ask you—"

Conan tried to speak, but he faded into the dream.

He woke up in the morning feeling rather disturbed.

_I think having you in my head is affecting my dreams._

_**Sure, blame everything on me.**_

_I'm serious! After meeting you inside my head, I had a dream about…_

_**About? **_Conan felt Kaito rummaging through his head.

_**Uh….**_

_Yeah._

_**What is WRONG with your brain? How do Yaiba and serial killers fit together? And what was with me randomly appearing?**_

_Like I said, affecting my dreams. _

xxx

Ran was walking him to school when it happened.

"Ran!"

"Mmm?" Conan turned around to see a girl running towards them.

_Whoa. She looks….almost exactly like Ran._

Kaito's consciousness practically flared.

…_**.Hey—**_

"Aoko-san!" Ran exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Aoko grinned. She did look like Ran, Conan thought wryly. The only difference was that Ran was leaner from her years of practicing karate, and Aoko's hair was messier and slightly lighter-colored. Besides from that, they could have passed as twins.

"Conan-kun," Ran began. "This is Aoko Nakamori. We were helping her find her missing friend the other day, remember?"

"Y-yeah," Conan stammered. "Nice to meet you…"

Aoko smiled. "Thanks for all your help, Ran-chan, but I found him! He says he was coming back early today...hey, there he is!"

…_**.No, no...It can't be….**_

_Eh? What's wrong? _Conan thought, confused.

"Geez, Aoko!" A boy stumbled around the corner, panting as he walked up to them. "What'd you dash off like that for? And who are they?"

Conan stared. _Whoa, whoa..._

"This is Ran Mouri and Conan Edogawa," Aoko introduced. "They were helping me look for you!"

The boy brushed messy locks of black hair out of his eyes, grinning at them.

"Thanks! My name's Kaito Kuroba. It's nice to meet you!"

xxx

…..review?


	6. A Heist Notice?

A/N: I'm so sorry. I have a ton of excuses for why this chapter is so late, but the main one is that I had major writer's block. And I have a huge assignment due on Monday, but I thought I'd post this anyway.

"Talking"

_Conan thinking_

_**Kaito thinking**_

_**Akako thinking**_

xxx

_That's just uncanny._

Conan stared up at the grinning face of Kaito Kuroba. _He looks like….me! When I was Shinichi!_

Another thought occurred to him. _So did Kid. Kid could disguise as me without a mask, so is this…._

_Kid? Kaito? Explain, please?_

…_**.**_

_Uh, you there?_

_**This...I….**_

Conan briefly wondered if Kid was going into shock. He sounded like it.

Kaito Kuroba grinned. "Hey, you're that boy that shows up at Kid heists, right?"

Conan nodded dumbly.

"That's so cool!" Kuroba exclaimed. "Did you ever get to face him down?"

"Oi, Kaito!" Aoko spoke up, eyes flashing indignantly. "Quit obsessing over that annoying thief!"

"Hey, Kid's cool!" Kuroba protested. "You know, I think I heard he might have another heist soon…"

"Another heist?" Conan burst out in shock. "But that can't happen! Kid can't pull a heist now!"

Ran, Aoko, and Kaito stared at him. "Why not, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Because…"

_Because he's been stuck in my head for the past few days. And I just found out that he might actually be a high school student. Oh yeah, and while I'm at it, I might as well tell you that I'm secretly Shinichi, on the run from the Black Organization. Nothing big._

"N-nothing…" Conan smiled sheepishly.

_**Tantei-kun! Don't trust him!**_

_Eh? Why are you so paranoid all of the sudden?_

_**Because….he's...I'm…**_

"It's true!" Kuroba proclaimed, eyes shining. "Kid is really having a heist!"

"And how would you know, BaKaito?" Aoko retorted.

Kuroba grinned. "Just got a feeling."

Ran glanced at her watch. "Ah!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, Aoko-chan, Kuroba-kun, but we have to go!"

"Bye!" Kuroba waved, a huge grin on his face.

_**Tantei-kun! Tantei-kun! Kudo!**_

_What's with you—_

_**Just be quiet and listen! Don't trust that guy! **_

_I don't know what's up with you all of a sudden. Unless…wait. _Conan thoughts flashed back to when Ran had told him of the 'missing student'. And Kid had panicked…..

_Are YOU Kaito Kuroba?_

…_**..I….**_

_I don't know how, but I suppose it would make sense, considering you can disguise as me without a mask, and calling yourself "Kaito"….so that means that the Kid that appeared in Paris eighteen years ago was the original. And something happened, and….you're the substitute!_

_**Look, I—**_

Conan talked over him. _That's it! I've unmasked the Kaitou Kid!_

_**Brilliant. **_Kaito sounded bitter.

Then it hit Conan.

_But wait. Why was Kaito Kuroba standing in front of me?_

_**That's what I was trying to TELL you about! Look, you can boast about unmasking the Kaitou Kid later. Can we solve this problem FIRST!**_

Kaito was practically yelling by the end of the sentence. Conan's head rang.

_Quiet down. You're giving me a headache. So you admit that you're Kaito Kuroba?_

_**Uh, well, I—**_

Then all of a sudden Kaito was calm.

_**Sure, fine. You were gonna figure it out eventually. **_

Conan was immediately suspicious.

_Okay, what have you got planned?_

_**Plan? Me? **_Kaito sounded so innocent Conan found it hard to believe him.

_Oh—never mind. So if you're Kaito Kuroba, who was that?_

Kaito didn't answer right away.

…._**I don't know.**_

xxx

The rest of the day was a blur. Conan hardly paid attention in school, as he was spending most of his time talking with Kaito. Fortunately, Kobayashi-sensei didn't call on him much.

_**Okay, so what now?**_

_Don't ask ME. I don't know. _

_**You should! You're the world-famous detective, after all. **_

They fell silent, pondering over what to do.

_**If it was a disguise, it was a good one.**_

_What else could it be?_

_**Well, magic. **_Kaito said this very seriously.

_Yeah, right._

_**Hey, you met Akako.**_

_Good point. _

Conan stared at the clock. Just a few minutes until the end of school. He felt Kaito moving restlessly inside his head.

_**Come on, stupid clock, **_Kaito whined. _**Hurry up so we can start investigating this. Time crawls like a snail in this classroom. I swear, there must be a time-distortion field or something...**_

Conan ignored him and stared at his work. A few minutes, and…

_RRRRIIIIIINNNG!_

_**Yes!**_

Conan stood and began gathering his things.

_I would investigate this for you, Kid, but I have no idea where to start._

_**Kid? Why back to formality, KUDO? And anyways, we've got help. We should visit Akako.**_

_No._

_**No? Why not?**_

_Because her house is a long way away and it'll be too suspicious. Does she have a phone?_

_**I have no idea. Probably, but I don't know her number anyways.**_

Conan walked out of the classroom, quickly catching up with the rest of the Shonen Tantei.

_Is there any other way to contact her?_

_**I don't know. She's a witch, so I guess she should be able to read minds…**_

_But from so far away?_

_**Maybe if I call out or something. Akako? Akako? You there?**_

_I don't think she can hear you, genius._

_**Who says I can't hear you?**_

Another voice appeared in Conan's head, shocking him greatly. He yelped and tripped over a crack in the curb, crashing into Genta.

"Ow!" Genta complained.

"Sorry," Conan apologized.

_**Whoa, Akako? What're you doing in tantei-kun's head?**_

_**When we met at my house a week or so ago, I placed a spell that tracks his thoughts. I've been listening to you two throughout the whole day.**_

_I have no privacy anymore, _Conan lamented. He was ignored.

_**That's great! **_Kaito sounded ecstatic. _**Now you can tell us—**_

_**It's not magic.**_

_**Whoa. Not magic? Then what else…..**_

_**I would assume that it is a disguise. A clever one, but there's something wrong.**_

_Which is?_

Akako was silent for a while, then spoke slowly. _**He acts normally, but beneath that...he doesn't seem alive. **_

_Not alive? _

_**What, are you saying he's a zombie? That's new, even for you.**_

_**I'm not sure what it is exactly. The strain of keeping up the spell might be dulling my senses. So I'll let you two figure it out. Good luck, Kaito-kun...Kudo-san.**_

Akako's presence disappeared from Conan's mind.

_**Hey! Akako?**_

Conan was in mild shock. _She knows I'm Shinichi._

_**Probably saw it in your head, **_Kaito said dismissively.

Conan hissed out loud. _Why don't I just broadcast it to the world? Hey everyone, Conan Edogawa is actually a shrunken Kudo Shinichi, on the run from the Black Organization, a group of murderers trying to kill him! _He threw up his arms.

"Conan-kun's been acting weird recently," Ayumi whispered to Mitsuhiko, who nodded.

_**It's not like she's going to tell anyone. Anyway, let's get back to the more pressing matter at hand…who was that person pretending to be me?**_

_You realize that if they're pretending to be you, then they probably know your identity as well._

_**I know.**_

_How are you not panicking?_

_**How do you know I'm not secretly panicking inside?**_

_Be serious!_

They passed an electronic news bulletin. Conan stared passively at the advertisement for Yaiba manga, his mind a million miles away, wondering how Kaito Kuroba could be both in his head and in school at the same time….

The bulletin changed.

Conan found himself staring at a photograph of the Kaitou Kid.

_No way._

"KID declares new heist!" The bulletin screamed in bold flashing font. "Tonight at 10 PM, Kaitou Kid has declared that he will steal the Star Sapphire, a gem worth more than 10 million yen. The gem is currently displayed in Tokyo Tower…."

Conan didn't have time to read more. Genta, impatient with his slow pace, yanked him along by the arm. "Come on, Conan! You're too slow!"

"W-wait!" Conan pointed at the bulletin, but (just his luck) the bulletin changed.

Conan stared at yet another ad for Yaiba manga.

"Yaiba?" Ai said skeptically as she walked over, staring at the ad. "Really, Edogawa-kun?"

"Oh—never mind," Conan said tiredly.

_How is this possible?_

_**I don't know! **_Kid sounded on the verge of hysteria. _**That, that...whoever the hell that person is, he's going around pulling heists! In MY name! That's it. This is war! You HAVE to go to the heist tonight. You HAVE to!**_

_I never said I wouldn't. _

It looked like they would solve this mystery sooner than they thought.

But the problem, Conan reflected as he was dragged along by Genta, was getting Ran's permission.

xxx

A/N: I worked pretty darn hard on this chapter, so reviews would be nice. Please?


	7. Heiji enters the stage!

Um…hi. I swear I have a legitimate excuse. It's called: "Summer-hit-and-three-weeks-of-academic-boot-camp-then-a-trip-to-Alaska-then-back-to-school." Seriously. I've been running around like a headless chicken. And I'm so, so, sorry.

I wrote this when I was really, really, busy, but I felt so bad just leaving you guys hanging. Sigh...I hope this chapter makes up for it.

If you could review, I'd really appreciate it. And I've got to go back to doing school stuff now...

I know I totally butchered Heiji's accent. Sorry, Heiji fans and Heiji.

Happy reading.

"Talking"

_Conan thinking_

_**Kaito thinking**_

XxXxX

"No. Absolutely not." A herd of African elephants couldn't have made Ran budge.

"B-but...Ran-neechan…" Conan said sweetly, although he was frantic on the inside, "I've got to go to the Kid heist!"

"No!" Ran shook her head. "Sorry, Conan-kun. Obsessing over that thief is bad enough, but you can't stay up late on a school night."

"Ran-neechan…"

"Absolutely not. Besides, I've got homework tonight and dad won't take you. You can't go by yourself!" Ran turned back to the kitchen counter and continued chopping vegetables.

_**If Ran's busy and Kogoro-san won't take you…**_Kaito mused. _**Who else?**_

_I don't know. What about Koizumi-san?_

_**Akako? Meh, I don't think so. She's probably busy brewing some sort of potion or something, and she's not exactly inconspicuous...What about that professor, what's his name again…?**_

_Agasa?_

_**Yeah, him.**_

_I already asked, he's busy testing some new gadget. _

_**You could just sneak out.**_

_Let's only use that as a last resort._

_**Aw, you're no fun...who else?...**_

Both of them fell silent, pondering.

_We've got to do something. We can't just expect the answer to walk in through the door._

_**Pfft, that only happens in really cheesy movies!**_

The door opened.

Conan stared at a very familiar face.

"Yo, Kudo!"

_**Okay, I take back my comment about cheesy movies.**_

"Heiji?"Conan remembered to talk out loud just in time. The disadvantages of constantly talking to someone inside your own head were starting to affect him.

And then: "Don't call me that!" Conan hissed.

"Hattori-kun?" Ran poked her head through the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

"More importantly, how did you get in?" Conan said.

"Ya gotta remember to lock th' door, Ku-Conan-kun," Heiji said cheerfully.

_How can he remain so cheerful all the time? _Conan sweatdropped.

_**I think a better question would be, "How can you be so serious all the time?" Or "How can the great detective Kudo Shinichi forget to lock the door?"**_

_Oh, shut it. _

_**Technically, I'm not physically talking, so you can't tell me to 'shut it'.**_

_Stop thinking. _

_**I'd have to die to stop thinking. You don't want that, do you? **_

_Oh, I don't know..._

"Uh, Conan-kun?" Heiji spoke up. "Ya've been staring off inta space for a while."

"Eh? Ah-heh-heh, sorry…" Conan laughed sheepishly.

_**That's it! That's it! **_Kaito's yell was loud enough to make Conan's head ring.

_What's it? _

_**You can get him to take you to the heist!**_

_Oh. _Conan turned to Heiji.

"Heiji-niichan, um, there's a Kid heist tonight…"

_**Perfect! Keep on acting cute. **_

_Excuse me, trying to be persuasive here!_

"...and I was wondering, since Ran-neechan can't go...could you take me?"

_**Puppy dog eyes! Puppy dog eyes! Aw, come on, your pitiful expression could use a lot of work. I'll have to teach you how to look truly pathetic sometime…**_

Heiji raised an eyebrow and turned to Ran. "Er, nee-chan?"

Ran sighed. "Alright, fine. But—"

_**There's always a but.**_

"—Conan-kun, if you injure yourself chasing after that thief, I'll make him wish he'd never been born!" With that, Ran stormed back into the kitchen. A few seconds later, hacking sounds could be heard as Ran attacked the vegetables.

_**Scary. **_

Heiji turned to Conan. "What's up, Kudo?"

"Hm?" Conan replied. "And don't—"

"I know, I shouldn't call ya 'Kudo' when nee-chan's 'round," Heiji interrupted. "But seriously, Kudo, what's goin' on? Ya've been even spacier than usual."

_**Spacier than usual. **_Kaito snickered.

_Well, it is hard to concentrate when you're inserting snarky comments every other second._

_**I make it my daily mission to annoy you.**_

_Why you—_

"See!" Heiji exclaimed. Conan blinked, startled. "What? Where?"

Heiji sighed. "Ya did it again. Spaced out."

"Oh." said Conan. "I, uh, have a headache?" He smiled in what he hoped was a convincing way.

_**You suck at lying.**_

_I wasn't lying. I DO have a huge headache, I've had it for several days now, and its name is Kaito._

Heiji stared skeptically. "Uh-huh. And what's th' real problem?

Conan sighed. "Sit down. This might take a while...remember the Kid heist that took place a little while back?"

_**WAIT. You're going to TELL him?**_

_Yep._

_**I didn't say you could!**_

_No, you didn't. But it's not like we've got much of a choice at this point. And I trust Heiji. _

_**But, you...you...fine.**_

Conan took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, wondering where he was going to start. "Well, when I caught up to Kaitou Kid he was holding this gem..."

When Conan finished. Heiji sat there for a while.

Then he burst out laughing. "Okay, ya got me, Kudo. I actually fell for it for a few seconds—"

_**He thought you were joking.**_

_Excellent deduction._

"I'm being serious about it!" Conan snapped. "I know it sounds ridiculous and I could barely believe it when it happened, but it's the truth!"

Heiji stopped laughing. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Conan stated. Heiji leaned back in his chair and whistled. "How come ya always get yerself into the weirdest trouble?"

_**He's a magnet. He literally attracts trouble and dead bodies whenever he takes a step outside.**_

_Kaito, I'm not even going to bother anymore._

_**So I can say whatever I want?**_

_No._

"Wait." Heiji said suddenly, sitting up. "If Kid is sittin' in yer head right now, then who's the Kid holdin' the heist tonight?"

Conan smirked. "Good, you're catching on."

XxXxX

When dinner was ready courtesy of Ran, Heiji and Conan ate as fast as they could, partly because they didn't want to be late, but more because Kaito was creating a ruckus in Conan's head.

_**HURRY UP! Jeez, you could've just taken your food and eaten on the way or something. **_

_We're going to be taking Heiji's motorbike and he can't drive and eat at the same time._

_**You could feed him!**_

_No way. _Conan set down his chopsticks. "I'm done! Come on, Heiji-niichan!"

Heiji looked up from his food, startled. "But I'm still eatin'—" Conan dragged him out the door before he could finish his sentence.

Outside, Heiji swallowed his last mouthful of rice and prepared an indignant outburst, but Conan cut him off. "I couldn't stand another minute of Kid's whining."

Heiji eyed him strangely. "Th' Kaitou Kid whines?"

"A lot. Come on, let's go." Conan climbed on the back of the motorbike as Heiji revved up the engine. A few seconds later, they were speeding away.

Conan's mind raced as he tried to come up with a possible explanation for the two Kids. It was kind of hard to think, though .

_**You know, this is really cool. Travel by motorbike isn't that bad. I should get one. Motorbike plus hang-glider equals land AND air escapes! **_

_I'm TRYING to think._

_**Wow, tantei-kun, I didn't know thinking was THAT hard for you.**_

Conan ignored him for the rest of the ride.

When they reached Tokyo Tower, the crowds were already there.

_These fans are crazy, _Conan noted as he stepped past a horde of screaming girls.

_**You think I ask them to do that? The level of obsession gets kind of scary sometimes...Still, it's nice to have an audience.**_

Conan and Heiji pushed their way through the crowd until they reached the base of Tokyo Tower.

"Stop!" Two Kaitou Kid Task Force members stepped towards them. "Spectators are not allowed beyond this point."

"We're not pedestrians," Conan said in his most chirpy I'm-a-good-little-boy voice. "I'm with Heiji-niichan! We wanted to see if we could help with the heist!"

The two Task Force men looked unsure. "Well..."

A hand reached out of nowhere, grabbed Heiji's cheek, and pulled. Heiji flinched. "Ow."

"Came to help, did you?" Ginzo Nakamori said suspiciously, still tugging on Heiji's cheek. "I don't remember asking."

_**I hate that.**_

_Hate what?_

_**When he uses the cheek-pinch-check thing. I mean, I can spend hours working on one latex mask but one pinch just ruins it. **_

_Maybe you should come up with better disguises._

_**Like you could do any better, meitantei. **_

"We, er, weren't invited, ya see," Heiji tried to explain. "Well, Ku-k-CONAN-KUN here wanted t'see the heist and I had t'come t'watch him."

_**Ooh, pinning the blame on you. He's smarter than I thought.**_

Nakamori's suspicious gaze turned towards Conan. "You again?"

"Ah, yes..." Conan said sheepishly. Kaito was jubilant.

_**Ha! Your cheek-pulling act won't work THIS time around, Inspector! I'm right in front of you, and you'll never know. Ha ha!**_

_Too bad it'll only work this one time._

Nakamori cleared his throat. "Well, we need all the help we can get when dealing with Kaitou Kid," he grumbled. "Come on." He gave Conan's cheek a half-hearted tug just in case and let them in.

Once inside, Heiji turned to Conan. "So when's Kid supposed t'strike?"

Conan checked his watch. "8 PM...and it's 7:45 now."

"Fifteen minutes," Heiji said.

_**You were cutting it close. **_

_I know._

They waited, the atmosphere growing tense.

_**Where's the gem again?**_

_In a room one floor up, I think…_

_**Shouldn't we go take a look at it?**_

_No. I want to see if I can spot the fake you among the people here. There's always a chance he'll slip up, since he hasn't had as much practice as you._

_**Kudo?**_

Surprised at Kaito's use of his real name, Conan took a while to reply. _Yes?_

_**Have you figured it out yet? Who the fake Kid is?**_

Conan gritted his teeth. _No. _He checked his watch. _Two more minutes._

Then the lights went out.

XxXxX

Next chapter up soon. Hopefully.

Sorry for the lack of plot exposition, that'll happen in the next chapter. Anybody figure out who Fake!Kid is?

I'd like some feedback on this chapter. My writing has changed a lot since my last update and I want to know if there's any difference...


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